User reviews

At first the movie made a wrong impression when it came out with an inspired poster from the English Flick "License To Wed" as its first look. Later after the new posters came in, the makers couldn't impress the viewers with their 'Just OK' promos on all the TV channels. As a result the film was not able to generate enough curiosity in the trade circles, despite of the presence of Paresh Rawal in its lead comic role.

And now after watching the so called comedy, it can be easily said that the final outcome is exactly similar to its average promotional campaign and nothing else. Though director Ashwni Dhir sincerely tries to revive the magic of those realistic and lovable films by Hrishikesh Mukherjee & Basu Chatterjee. But his ATKJ fails to make an overall impact on the viewer and misses the mark just like the recently released "Toh Baat Pakki".

Based on the plot of an unwanted guest (Atithi) in the house, the movie starts off well and manages to impress the viewer with an appreciable climax too. But it's between these two ends that it loses the grip over the subject and starts wandering into many predictable, uninteresting and repetitive sequences which unfortunately take away the beauty from its noticeable concluding 30 minutes. For instance how many times we have seen a married couple going to a hotel to spend few days and then being caught in a sudden police raid at the place.

Instead of writing some novel and fresh scenes in the script, the writers have gone for the usual comic punches involving the Police and Underworld Don seen many times before in similar other projects. To be precise the first scene of the movie itself is highly inspired from the famous Pakistani Stage Artist "Umar Sharif's comedy play". Apart from these, the overused farting sequences of Paresh also tend to go over the top after a while. Moreover the characters remain the part of a movie only and the viewer never feels any empathy towards their tough & helpless circumstances.

However there are few worth watching moments in the flick, which are able to save it from being called a merely below average product. One is its beautifully directed final hour which gives you the glimpses of our rich traditional values and culture. Second are the highly enjoyable and well acted scenes of Satish Kaushik with Paresh Rawal, capable of moving you emotionally. And third are its two devotional tracks with their innovative western arrangements by Pritam especially the "Mata Ki Arti" track made on the composition of "Beedi Jaliye Le" Performance wise, Paresh Rawal excels in the title role of an Atithi. He truly looks great and acts superbly as a village person visiting Mumbai after a long gap. Konkona is very natural and real in her portrayal of a lady trying to cope up between her home and work. But Ajay Devgan is strictly OK with nothing exceptional to write about. Satish Kaushik is a delight to watch in his few scenes and from the rest of the cast Sanjay Mishra stands out as the watchman. The child artist playing the couple's son doesn't get much scope in the script. Musically the soundtrack is fine with a catchy title track from Amit Mishra, but it cannot sell as a Music CD alone in the market. Cinematography serves the purpose well and dialogues are good in some particular scenes.

In short, ATKJ is a sincere attempt but could have been much better with some fresh and hilarious sequences added into the script. Actually it's a light comic drama and not a complete comedy as misleadingly projected by its makers. It fails to generate any laughter but is capable of making you smile at regular intervals. A simple and clean movie, which can be watched with the entire family on a weekend holiday.

According to the opening titles the movie is inspired from a short story or article by Late Sharad Joshi, but I also found the subject hugely similar to Satyajit Ray's masterpiece "Agantuk" meaning Stranger, which had the great Utpal Dutt playing the unwanted guest in the house.

Watched the movie back-to-back after Road, Movie.. Was disappointed with Road... So opted for this one to lighten up the mood.. Jokes were hackneyed and copied from "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge".. The movie was not at all hilarious but also not boring.. Decent time-pass flick with your family.. Songs were very interesting with unorthodox lyrics.. Go and watch the movie with not much expectations.. Paresh Rawal is a first-rate actor.. He successfully brings out the Frustrating emotions among the audiences.. Konkana Sen Sharma has looked surprisingly beautiful... Ajay Devgan was decent too but repetitive.. Over all one time watch..

The Legendary Hrishi Da cinema, that was sweet and simple is back after a long, long time in 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?'. It's not half of what the cult filmmaker made during his heydays, but talented writer-director Ashwni Dhir brings back such memories, of telling a simple story in the most simplistic manner.

'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?' is about a family of 3, who's life turns upside down when a Atithi knocks on their door claiming to be a far-away relative. Dhir's writing and direction both are fantastic in the first hour, you just don't stop laughing. But his writing and direction falters in the second hour, it loses grip and becomes really dragging. If you laugh loudly pre-interval, you yell at post-interval portions. Despite being a good film, it's minuses cannot be forgotten.

Coming to the performances, Ajay is good. Konkona Sen Sharma is, as always, proficient. Paresh Rawal is the real scene-stealer. The Legendary actor sinks his teeth into the character and brings it out with flying colors. Satish Kaushik is terrific in a brief role. Sanjay Mishra is okay.

On the whole, This 'Atithi' is welcome, because of it's simplicity.

Its one of the best of Paresh Rawal equally supported by Ajay and Kai Kai.. Perfect family fun.

'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge' is a fun entertainer, nothing earth shattering of course; but still definitely worth watching. The jokes are generally clean and the film can be enjoyed by the entire family.

The premise is slightly hackneyed, and not all the jokes hit their mark. For instance, the sequence at the hotel with the police raid is rather unoriginal. Still, the actors give their best and their comic timing makes a decent script fun.

Paresh Rawal is a big reason for the film's success. He manages to milk every situation for laughs. Konkana is fine, but the role doesn't give her as much scope as her indie films. Devgan is alright. At two hours the film's length is just about right and it manages not to overstay its welcome!

Overall: watchable entertainer

7 / 10

Ashwani Dheer caught my attention in "One Two Three" his first directorial outing. Under-rated and deserved a wee-bit more recognition/ appreciation. So obviously I was looking forward to his next venture namely "Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge". Unlike "One Two Three" which turned into a slightly complicated owing to the parallel sub-plots, "Atithi stays clear. Its a single plot running in a single direction. No complications - simple!

Performances::

Paresh Rawal:: The "Atithi" character is the backbone of the premise and no doubts on that front. Slightest error in delivery would have led to catastrophic results. Paresh knows this fact and hence treads the path with extreme caution. His performance is nothing short of perfection. He brings the Atithi character so much true to life that you will mind will begin to flash out strong resembling relatives. Every act and every line is realistic.

Konkana:: There is no scope to doubt her performance, as usual she is impeccable. In "Atithi..." her costumes deserve a special mention.

Ajay:: In my opinion, he was miscast. Even if it was Sunil Shetty the expectations would have run on those lines, if you know what I mean.

Satish Kaushik leaves a mark. Akhilendra Mishra and Viju Khote were adequate. Other Ashwani Dheer regulars do their part of stocking fillers viz. Sanjay Mishra, Mukesh Tiwari etc.

There are adequate humour in store for the audience. I particularly liked the "Sholay" and the "Beedi Jalaile" spoof.

If not a laugh-riot on the lines of Priyadarshan, "Atithi..." is a decent fare and safe for a one-time watch.

The movie had great expectations. That was quite natural having Paresh Rawal in the casting. People might expect this to be another Hera Pheri. However, I didn't had any of that kind of expectation. I just wanted to watch a decent comedy movie.

The first 15 minutes were the best part of the movie. However, later the comedy scenes were too isolated and stand independent. And most of the comedy/tragedy have not required a guest. Any other character in the movie could have done those. There are hardly any jokes you could remember.

The unnecessary songs leave their mark, making you to think why the hell so many songs are there in the movie. There are 3 devotional songs!!!! But, "Jyothi Jalaile" is the only songs you would remember for its funny side (it has the tune of famous "Beedi Jalaile" from Omkara).

The acting by all the members are good. But, the story lacked a good comedy theme in it so that actors can contribute more.

The two things you would remember coming out of the hall are the "Jyothi Jalaile" song and the climax. I recommend this only if you have no other work and just want to kill some time.

'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge' is a silly but amusing comedy. Munmun lives a happy life with her husband and son. Both are working parents living the modern family life. Their preferable routine life is shattered when, out of nowhere, a guest shows up at their doorstep and stays with them on the promise of a few days. The invasive guest has his own demands and routine which pretty much turns everything upside down for the host family. Days turn to weeks and weeks turn to month but there's no sign of this guest leaving.

The story feels familiar but the jokes work well nonetheless. The special effects are surprisingly good too. Where writer/director Ashwani Dheer fails is to balance the comedy and drama. While he succeeds with humour, the intense moments appear too melodramatic and irritating. It may not be the best comedic movie out there but it's way superior to those David Dhawan/Priyadarshan type movies (with a few exceptions like 'Hera Pheri).

Ajay Devgan seems to be getting more comfortable with comedy (compared to how awful he used to be) which helps. Paresh Rawal is terrific. I am glad to see Konkona Sen Sharma getting the chance to display her comic flair. Even though Rawal dominates the movie, Sen Sharma completely holds her own.

Overall, 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge' promises a few laughs, nothing more. It's enjoyable enough to watch with the family, not a bad date movie and maybe something for a rainy day.

This movie is now one of my top 3 worst films I have ever seen.

Each scene was artificial, the jokes were disastrous. Instead of laughing, we were crying. We had to leave at the intermission time, because this was not just going anywhere. The emotions shown were awful and no scene was believable.

Please please avoid. Better use of time is to watch Paresh Rawal's previous comedy films than to cry watching this.

Acting wise Paresh Rawal was just about okay. The other actors were also so so.

But the main problem is the script and directing.

There is a family of 3, father, mother and son have a guest to welcome whom they can't remember as a known one, yet the guest live with them for an unexpected period of time. They don't know, when will the guest leave their home?

Not a believable story, even every scenes seem to us as unreal, far from the reality. The jokes are quite passable. There are several religious scenes which we never enjoyed. Otherwise it entertain us a bit. Overall, not recommended.